Your child receives phone calls from people that you do not know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don´t recognize

Your child becomes withdrawn from the family

Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else

TALK TO YOUR KIDS

Let your children know that they can talk to you about anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable

Tell your children not to respond when someone offers them something for nothing, such as free software, gifts or money

Remind your children that the people they chat with are still strangers

Bear in mind that people may not be who they seem.

Because you can´t see or hear people online it´s easy for an adult to
pretend they are kids

Remember, how you respond to your children will determine whether they confide in you the next time they encounter a problem

SET RULES

Set reasonable rules and guidelines for your children before they venture out on the Internet

Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder

Work together to decide what is and is not appropriate

Try to enlist children´s cooperation and self - regulation wherever possible. For example, have your children write and sign a statement agreeing not to visit certain Web sites

Discuss software and Web sites with your children

NEVER

Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission

Never give out information about your child such as home address, school name, telephone number, age or any other personal information

Never use your child´s name or E-mail address in any public directories or profiles

Tell your children to never respond to threatening or obscene messages

Tell your children to never click on any links that are contained in e-mail from persons they don´t know.
Such links could lead to sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate web sites

Never post photographs of your children on web forums that are available to the public

AS A FAMILY

Make Internet use a family activity

Keep the computer in a family room rather than in the child´s bedroom

Spend time online with your children

Get to know your children´s "online-friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends

Get to know your children´s favorite sites

Talk with your children about what you like and dislike about the sites they visit, as a way of reinforcing your values

Be an involved parent. Monitor your child´s online activity just as you would the shows they watch on
television, the games they play or the movies they see.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) whether they offer filtering services to families with young children

If not check out filtering software that you can purchase for a modest cost

Ask your ISP provider about their privacy policy and exercise your options for how your personal information will be used

If your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or is threatening, forward a copy to your ISP provider,
and ask for their assistance. Also be sure to contact the local police or District Attorney´s Office

Getting online yourself will alert you to any potential problem that you children may incur while on the Internet

If you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately
notify the police, and contact the District Attorney´s Office

You should also report it to the National center for Missing and Exploited Children´s CyberTipline at1-800-843-5678
or www.missingkids.com/cybertip